six Irish athletes will compete at the American Collegiate track and field championships in Des Moines Iowa from Wednesday to Saturday this week;
Tomas Cotter (Dunleer AC) JR Wichita State 3,000m steeplechase
David Rooney (Raheny Shamrocks AC) JR McNeese State 5,000m
Conor McCullough (Crusaders AC) SO Princeton Hammer
Charlotte Ffrench O’Carroll (Dundrum South Dublin AC) JR Providence 5,000m
Holly Knight (Finn Valley AC) SR Louisville 10,000m
Mairead Murphy (Ferrybank AC) SR Kansas State Heptathlon
They will add thier names to an impressive list of Irish athletes who have competed at NCAAs down through the years -
Men
Women
Please contact Killian Lonergan on statistics@athleticsireland.ie for amendments and additions.
Track and Field’s Knight Earns Academic Honor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville track and field’s Holly Knight has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Track and Field Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday.
The Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected in June. The Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographical districts across the United States and Canada.
Knight, who is working toward her doctorate in psychology, boasts a 3.93 grade-point average through her first year of coursework, while earning Dean’s List accolades in the fall and spring semesters. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Auburn, where she finished with a 3.96 GPA.
This year, she has broken the school’s 17-year-old indoor record in the 5,000m, clocking a time of 16:24.70. At the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, she helped the women’s team win its fifth-straight league title, while placing third in the 5,000m and 10,000m events. At the meet, she broke the 17-year-old outdoor record in the 5,000m (16:26.07). Earlier this season, she also set the school’s 10,000m mark with a time of 33:08.99 that ranks second in the region and 10th nationally.
McNeese State has announced the most valuable players for the university’s spring sports for the 2012 season and includes David Rooney (Raheny Shamrock AC)
Rooney, a junior from Ireland, was the lead distance runner at the Southland Conference championship meet, winning both the 5,000 and the 10,000 meter runs and being named the athlete of the year in the conference. During the outdoor season he set a school record in the 5,000 meter run (13:53.04) and he qualified for the NCAA championship meet. He also had three first place efforts including a victory at the prestigious Mt. SAC relays in California.
The Missouri Valley Conference announced the 2012 Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference and Scholar-Athlete recipients Wednesday. Thirty-nine men and 55 women were named to the 2012 MVC Scholar-Athlete team, including nine Shocker men and 14 Shocker women and includes Tomas Cotter, Jr., 3.30, Geology.
Joining Krais in the heptathlon is senior transfer Mairead Murphy. The Ireland native has been a major contributor to the women’s team this year, converting to the multi-events after running strictly hurdles the three previous years. She has also put her name in the record books back home, setting national records indoors in the pentathlon and outdoors in the heptathlon at the Big 12 Championships.
